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What am I not seeing lately?

One of the common recommendations that I see about how to be more innovative or to identify trends in the marketplace, is to look for what you DON’T see. I try to do this and have had varying degrees of success. From Mitch Ditkoff at The Heart of Innovation blog is a good list of ways to see what is invisible:

20 Ways to See the Invisible

“1. Pay attention to your dreams.
2. Honor synchronicity.
3. Immerse. Dive in.
4. Stop projecting your own assumptions onto everything.
5. Trust your instincts more.
6. Let go of attachment to your thoughts.
7. Ask impossible questions.
8. Notice patterns.
9. Sneak up on your project (work in the cracks).
10. Let go of doubt.
11. Work in a different environment.
12. Ask friends to tell you what your blind spots are.
13. Look through the eyes of the person who inspires you the most.
14. Take a break.
15. Slow way down.
16. Share your AHAs.
17. Daydream.
18. Stop trying so hard.
19. Ask children for the answer.
20. Invite unusual suspects for their point of view.”

I think it is a good list. I find that my quiet time – alone in a plane or airline lounge – is when I can let my mind wander and start to think about this sort of stuff. For example:

1. My daughter doesn’t ask for money to rent DVD’s anymore. Does she still watch movies, yes. How now? I wonder if teens borrow DVD’s as much as they used to? Has they been a shift in demographic borrowing patterns for DVD’s?

2. I am not getting very many traditional instant messages anymore. I am certainly getting more short messages via Twitter, Facebook and texting. Is that a major shift or just a function of my network?

3. I am surely seeing a lot of pushback on privacy lately – one of the great strengths of libraries. What don’t I see? I don’t see libraries playing to that strength too often – trusted public institutions. If we don’t speak up for ourselves, who will?

4. What aren’t you seeing lately?

Peace, out.

Stephen

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Posted on: June 3, 2010, 8:38 am Category: Uncategorized

One Response

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  1. This is a better question for Jim Joyce rather then I, but all things being equal I’m not seeing the “art of compromise” anymore. Not necessarily a good thing. It used to be A and B, but people used to try and make an effort of finding common ground to find solutions. Now people seem like they’re taking pride on standing firm in their position even if it means eventual destruction of both sides. I wish compromise would return. We’d all be a lot better off.